Brand in een hangar met olie na de ontploffing van een munitiefabriek in Oosterweel bij Antwerpen op 6 september 1889 Possibly 1885 - 1889

This photograph by Victor Selb captures the aftermath of a munitions factory explosion in Oosterweel, Belgium, in 1889. Photography, a relatively new medium at the time, democratized image-making, offering a mechanical means of capturing reality. Here, its stark black and white tones communicate the destructive force of industrial accidents, the materials and processes involved in arms production laid bare through disaster. The photograph's materiality—the specific paper stock, the developing chemicals—lends a documentary weight to the image. Consider the social context: factories churning out materials for an increasingly militarized world, accidents waiting to happen, and photography recording it all. Selb’s work reminds us that even in art, materials, making, and context are vital for understanding the broader implications of an image, blurring the lines between documentation, social commentary, and art.